


Names

by leporidae



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Exposition, Fluff, M/M, mostly just himuro's thoughts honestly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 10:07:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5452784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leporidae/pseuds/leporidae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They go together simply because they are different.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Names

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kotaka_kun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kotaka_kun/gifts).



> This is the first of five short drabbles I'm writing for a KnB Secret Santa exchange on tumblr. They'll be posted between now and the 24th. The person who I received listed their five favorite KnB ships on their application, and in a stroke of good luck I like all five of them, so I'm going to write a little for each one.
> 
> I've never written Murahimu before, and I'm not sure I'd be inclined to again because both Himuro and Murasakibara are tricky characters to write for – probably because they have an unfortunate lack of screen time in the series. This also ended up being a lot less fluffy than I'd intended, but oh well. If anything, I just hope I can contribute a little to the small pool of fic dedicated to these two, since they're usually a side ship in other fics.

His boyfriend's face looks so peaceful in his sleep, devoid of its usual childish petulance. Tatsuya allows a small smile to curl his lips as he silently observes the rise and fall of the larger man's chest; the way his bangs, tangled from sleep, splay across his forehead, fluttering slightly with each exhalation.

"Atsushi."

He doesn't stir at all, of course. The giant of a man is already a heavy sleeper, and the volume of Tatsuya's voice is hardly more than a murmur. There's no way it will rouse him, and therefore there is no reason to say his name at all – other than the quiet thrill of tasting it on his own lips.

_Atsushi._

After living in America for so many years, Himuro Tatsuya is used to first names despite being Japanese. His brother, Kagami Taiga, is nothing but _Taiga_ to him; his mentor Alexandra Garcia is _Alex_ (certainly not _Ms. Garcia,_ how absurdly formal, how _unnatural_ ). In Japanese culture, calling someone by their first name is a show of familiarity too forward for first meetings, but old habits die hard, and Tatsuya still finds himself drawn to first names, his sole intimate mannerism amidst his otherwise calculated disposition.

He'd called the towering, childish man Atsushi without a second thought upon their first meeting at practice, but with the other it never felt out of place – mostly because Atsushi cared little about customs or conventions. In return, Tatsuya had received the bizarre but still rather endearing nickname of _Muro-chin._ It was an inexplicable name befitting of Atsushi's peculiar personality, the way he marched to the beat of his own drum (metaphorically, of course, since literally marching would have been far too much effort for the naturally dormant man). It was a name he would grow to hear often, uttered from the sulky lips of his partner when he appealed to him for food like a grade schooler whining to their mother, a name that once reminded him of annoyance and jealousy he could barely mask but now served only to fill him with warmth.

Tatsuya had resented being Atsushi's shadow when Taiga had become known as the light of Seirin, a player on par with the Generation of Miracles. Not only that, it was unfair that his lazy, unmotivated light, the man who barely roused himself for anything, had experienced what Tatsuya himself yearned for: that hyper-focused, nearly _superpowered_ state known as the Zone – despite regularly complaining about how much disdain he felt for the sport.

__

_Muro-chin, basketball is boring._

__

_Practice is so long._

__

_I wanna go home and eat chips._

For someone who'd worked so hard for years, who'd squeezed every drop of his proverbial lifeblood into his passion for basketball, Atsushi's words sat in his gut like a disagreeable meal – a comparison, he thinks with some chagrin, that even his food-focused partner would understand. How dare someone so naturally gifted treat something he loved like it was nothing, when he himself was stuck futilely chasing after the other man's – and for that matter, Taiga's – talent? Tatsuya's resentment had culminated fully during Yosen's match against Seirin, when the double aces of Yosen, perhaps for the first time, had expressed their disdain towards one another.

Tatsuya did not understand Atsushi's apathy.

Atsushi did not understand Tatsuya's conviction.

Their subsequent loss shook them both, a turning point in their relationship. Though once a point of contention, the disconnect between them no longer matters. As both Tatsuya and Atsushi have grown to understand, a full understanding of one another is not necessary for them to work well together. Both members of the duo have since accepted that their partner's mindset is incomprehensible, but that same conflict is also what makes them two parts of the same whole. Together they have it all - the talent, the physique, the drive and the ruthlessness. Combined they are a force to be reckoned with. Tatsuya's motivation, his hunger for victory, inspires Atsushi to work a little harder in practice, to stick with the grind despite his moodiness and frustration; Atsushi's laid back attitude and natural talent helps Tatsuya cool his head and strive for even greater personal heights.

 _We truly are Yosen's light and shadow,_ Tatsuya thinks ruefully.

A low moan emits from the other's throat, and Tatsuya quirks an eyebrow. Atsushi is as hard to pull from bed in the morning as a hibernating bear, and it is usually much more productive to wait for him to rise on his own than to expend extra effort coaxing him into the waking world. Today, though, he feels like taking that extra risk. Brushing Atsushi’s bangs aside with one hand, Tatsuya leans down to plant a soft kiss on the other's cheek.

"Mmnnn... Muro-chin," Atsushi mumbles softly.

Tatsuya smiles. "Atsushi," he whispers back teasingly. His boyfriend is still too deeply immersed in the fog of slumber to grow frustrated with him, so pushing his luck seems safe.

"I wanna sleep."

"I'll make you hot cocoa with your breakfast if you wake up."

Atsushi's eyes open a slit, regarding the other with more than a little suspicion. "Really?"

He has every right to be skeptical, after Tatsuya's repeated admonitions of his terrible diet. ("You'll develop diabetes." "…Don't care.") But today, Tatsuya is feeling generous. "Really," he assures him. "I'll even make some for myself." Might as well treat himself every once in the while when the mood strikes. "We can drink it together."

A thoughtful look flits across Atsushi's sleepy face, and he closes his eyes again. "In bed?"

"Only if you sit up."

"...Mm. Fine..."

It seems Atsushi is feeling oddly agreeable as well this morning. Tatsuya counts this as a victory, however small. "Don't fall back asleep by the time I come back, Atsushi,” he warns.  


A groan from the bed is the only indication his words have been heard. Whether or not they'll actually be heeded is debatable. As Tatsuya stands and approaches the door, he hears the soft murmur of the nickname he's grown so fond of.

"Muro-chin."

Tatsuya turns around, blinking back at the sleepy face of his partner.

"Yes?"

Atsushi yawns. "Make sure to... add extra marshmallows, mm?"

The shadow of Yosen smiles.

"Of course."


End file.
